Jazz Articles about Stephan Crump
About Stephan Crump
Instrument: Bass
Article Coverage | Calendar | Albums | Photos | Similar ArtistsStephan Crump: Rocket Love
by Troy Dostert
One of the most versatile bassists of his generation, Stephan Crump has proven repeatedly that he can do pretty much anything on his instrument. He can lock down some ferocious grooves with Vijay Iyer as a part of the pianist's trio on Accelerando (ACT, 2012) and Break Stuff (ECM, 2015). But he's no stranger to free improvisation either, most notably as a member of the supremely empathetic Borderlands Trio with Kris Davis and Eric McPherson; their double-CD release, Wandersphere (Intakt) ...
read moreBorderlands Trio: Wandersphere
by John Sharpe
Like a billionaire with money to burn, the Borderlands Trio frequently launch into space, and hit the jackpot in doing so. On this double disc set, the threesome—comprising bassist Stephan Crump, pianist Kris Davis and drummer Eric McPherson—luxuriate in the wide open vistas of four expansive improvisations of between nineteen and forty-two minutes. The decision to play and present entire pieces rather than excerpts, as they did on some of the shorter numbers on their debut Asteroidea (Intakt, 2017), pays ...
read moreBorderlands Trio, Amir ElSaffar & Michael Attias
by Maurice Hogue
This episode is packed with music from several new releases. Stephan Crump's Borderlands Trio leads things off with a track from Wandersphere's set of riveting extended songs. Then come tunes from William Parker, a pair of bands from Poland—Kwasny Desczc and saxophonist Michal Bak's Quartetto, Canadian bassist Nick Adema, Chilean saxophonist now living in France—Diego Manuschevich, bassist André Carvalho, and saxophonist Michael Attias with a killer group from Buenos Aires. Lots of other great stuff as well. Enjoy!
read moreStephan Crump: Wandersphere
by Mark Corroto
Let's play a game. Call it “Is it improvised or composed?" Today's contestants are the Borderlands Trio, comprised of bassist Stephan Crump, pianist Kris Davis, and drummer Eric McPherson. Their release Wandersphere, recorded in December, 2020, consists of four tracks on two CDs. Four lengthy tracks, the shortest nearly twenty minutes and the longest at forty-one minutes plus. The game is, of course, rigged because listeners of the trio's previous release Asteroidea (Intakt, 2017) will know all the music is ...
read moreBorderlands Trio: Stephan Crump / Kris Davis / Eric McPherson: Wandersphere
by Dan McClenaghan
It begins so quietly, whispering out of silence like a ghost. The creaking door of Stephan Crump's arco bass, the hiss of Eric McPherson's brushes, the parsimonious delicacy of Kris Davis' piano notes. This is what opens Disc one of this two CD outing by the Borderlands Trio. The tune's following half hour's worth of improvisational expressionism--an exercise in filling the vacuum with free flowing musical ideas--gathers momentum, like an incoming storm, or maybe a colony of microscopic organisms reaching ...
read moreStephan Crump's Rosetta Trio: Outliers
by Troy Dostert
Truly one of the most versatile of today's in-demand bassists, Stephan Crump has proven himself equally adept in a variety of musical contexts. Not only is he Vijay Iyer's longtime associate in both his trio and sextet formations, but he also finds time to pursue free improvisation with Ingrid Laubrock and Cory Smythe; that trio's Planktonic Finales (Intakt) was one of 2017's highlights. And he's always remained open to working with musicians in the worlds of R&B and alt-rock, with ...
read moreStephan Crump / Ingrid Laubrock / Cory Smythe: Planktonic Finales
by John Sharpe
Brooklyn-based German saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock initiated the grouping, pulling together two rising talents on the New York City scene, bassist Stephan Crump and pianist Cory Smythe. A first meeting quickly ascertained compatibility and lead swiftly to a recording date. Laubrock's tale, moving from London to become one of the key figures in her adopted hometown, is well known. Crump too is beginning to stretch out on his own having established himself as an integral part of pianist Vijay Iyer's Trio ...
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